Commodore's Message

As Commodore, I welcome you and yours to Southwestern Yacht Club- known by many as the “friendliest yacht club in San Diego.”

Formed in 1925 by a group of San Diego yachtsmen who had come together to embrace their mutual love of yachting and the sea, Southwestern has a long history in San Diego. Southwestern was the first yacht club to have facilities on the eastern side of San Diego Bay and the first clubhouse was located along the bayfront at the foot of Grape Street. With the start of WWII, and the nation’s need for the Grape Street location, the Club moved to a new location along Harbor Drive in 1941. In 1951 Southwestern Yacht Club moved again, this time to its present location off of quiet Qualtrough Street and the idyllic Point Loma neighborhood of La Playa. We may be hard to find, but once you’re here, you will see how special this facility is.

With state of the art facilities which were completely rebuilt in 2008, an outstanding staff and management team and social events occurring nearly every day, Southwestern Yacht Club is, in a word- fun! Southwestern is a member-based club. While we have outstanding professional staff, the majority of our events and activities are organized and run by member volunteers. This approach allows us to roll up our sleeves while we get to know each other and, in the process, become lifelong friends.

Whether sailing, angling, racing, cruising, predictive log, paddling or any of the other forms of water-based recreation, Southwestern has a group of like-minded members who are always willing to share their passions. As you get to know our members, you will quickly recognize and appreciate the heartfelt Corinthian spirit of our members. When distilled down to the basics, we are here to celebrate a common purpose and bond.

Beyond camaraderie, we offer a first-in-the-nation Junior program which emphasizes a combination of both sailing and angling programs on a year-round basis. And because development of our younger citizens is critical to our community, our Junior program is open to all- member or non-member.
Speaking of our Juniors, we are exceptionally proud of the fact that several of our former Juniors have represented the United States at the Olympic Games- most recently at the Rio Games. If you are a young person, you can’t help but have fun around here! Southwestern Yacht Club supports local high school and collegiate sailing programs as well.

While all of the forgoing is based on fun, we also understand that it is our mutual obligation to support those who need assistance. In that light, we are very active in providing support to local, non-profit organizations through our Benefit on the Bay series of events and through direct fundraising.

Whether you are a member of a reciprocal yacht club interested in tying up to our guest docks for a visit or a potential member who is interested in learning more, I recommend you stop by and say “hello”. My guess is you will be glad you did.

I am proud of Southwestern Yacht Club’s achievements, its members and staff and I hope to see you soon. Let me show you why Southwestern Yacht Club is the friendliest club in San Diego.